Back to the grind

We are slowly adjusting to our old routine since coming back from our holiday in Ohio.  A big part of our normal day-to-day is "baby boot camp" (no the kids don't work out but Claire does join me...it's a boot camp where bringing the kids is encouraged).  My workout hiatus was evident as my cortisol levels were rising.  A good workout always eases the mind :)

Back to reality is often tough.  Claire, who normally relishes in boot camp, was just not feeling it today.  I spent the first fifteen minutes of class comforting her.  She cried for me to hold her and threw a huge tantrum when I would not.  It appeared that boot camp was adding to my stress rather than relieving it.  But I digress...I eventually got Claire to calm by seeing her beloved baby Tucker in class.  Her 3 month old little buddy helped her tears subside and kept her occupied as she played mommy to him.  I think it was a good start to getting back on track.

Following boot camp we continued on to the dreaded "germ tree." It's the play area of The Woodlands Mall...and it's a breeding ground for germs.  With the temperature a frigid 43 degrees (for Texans that's antarctic), the normal plethora of playtime options dwindles to a mere few, with the germ tree being one.  It was chaotic as masses of toddlers swarmed the play area.  The only noteworthy events of our time there was Claire escaping and hightailing it to Gymboree with Norah following suit, except Norah chose to propel herself OVER the barrier wall.  Embarrassing.  An overly concerned mother who was not part of my gaggled of mommy friends was the one who chased after Claire initially.  I grabbed Claire and made a dash over to my other monkey.  Defeated, I decided it was perhaps best we take our shenanigans elsewhere, most specifically to the nearest drive-thru Starbucks to indulge in my grande cup of happy (my chai of course) then onward home for lunch and nap.

Of course the drive home was filled with me telling the girls why we don't run off, fling ourselves over walls, etc. yet I have a sneaking suspcision it fell upon deaf little ears.  Norah was out before we were home which resulted in even more personal defeat because I knew with her out Claire would never take a nap...with those two it's either they both nap at exactly the same time (because they share a room) or Norah naps alone because she fell asleep before Claire.

I tried my best to get Claire to have some form of alone time... I offered the guest room with a tv and a comfortable queen size bed to "rest" in.  But sadly no such luck.  I heard drawers slam, saw lights flicker on and off, and ultimately heard running water (Claire has a hand-washing obsession and will do it constantly).  Instead I let her indulge in her favorite activity - playing her video of "Gangham Style" and watch her try and mimic the video and dance.  It truly is cute for all of 2 minutes until she replays and replays until you can't handle the song at all.  But I let her have at it because it made her happy...and I didn't want to battle another meltdown.  

Upon Norah's waking, we met up with our dearest (and FIRST) Texas friends Charlotte and Carson. Adorable playtime ensued.  Claire and Carson have been best friends since the moment they met.  In fact, they met by wrestling one another at Bouncing Bears.  Ever since that meeting, they have developed a true brother/sister dynamic where they can love and hate each other within a 5 minute span.  As a cute side note  before she could actually say his name, she gave him the moniker "Cargo" which was picked up by their nursery school teachers, family and other friends.  I feared he would develop a horrible identity complex because everyone called him Cargo but it never seemed to bother him.  Now he is properly identified and no fear lingers.  But I digress. Now that Norah can play with them, she's made the dyad a sweet little triad. 

We had bumps in the road today but all in all we ended today with no cuts, bruises or serious injuries...maybe some tears but we are in the hard years and I am their mother (hello my nickname as a child was Mona) so that's to be expected.

Learning to dance like Psy 

Some highlights of my day with the girls were as follows:
~ Prior to leaving for boot camp, I found the girls huddled over the iPad watching a dance tutorial on on how to do the Gangham Style dance.
~ Claire randomly telling Norah as she got into trouble: "Norah, shake my head." (Aunt Katie would be proud)
~ Watching Claire take over DeeDee and Uncle Danny's FaceTime call tonight to give a house tour...seriously, what 2 year old gives a full-on tour?!?! She even opened her drawers to show them her clothes! Amazes me how smart and mature she truly is.
~ Norah's personal concert with her little guitar singing "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" so fluidly transitioning into "You Are My Sunshine"